RIP WOKE HOCKEY IN USA There’s nothing like a landslide political victory that says enough is enough.

While the leadership of ice hockey continues to fall all over itself when it comes to the concept of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, there are many within the actual hockey community that feel enough is enough.

There’s seems to be a race to punish anyone that colors outside the lines of political correctness. In a game where a well-placed chirp is considered part of the culture, everyone has to try and navigate which words cross the line of acceptability. A line that is constantly moving at the whim of very few people.

I find it very interesting when the game suspends a player for multiple games after referring to an off-ice official as a “fairy”, but there’s no problem when the coach or player is dropping F-bombs that can be heard by every set of ears in the arena.

How does that make any sense?

Considering about half the population identifies as Christian or other faiths, how does offending very small percentage of the adult American community (according to Gallup, approximately 7.6% of American adults identify as LGBTQIA+) carry more weight than half the country?

Then there is the n-word. Or any word that is even remotely associated with the black community. The n-word can be heard on the radio, movies, TV, restaurants, and the street in every predominantly black community. It’s commonly used in almost every black, and even brown, social group. But if a Caucasian person says it? Chaos erupts. Careers are jeopardized and labels assigned.

I’ve even heard a black player call another player the n-word during a game. What did the refs do? Nothing, that’s privileged speech. Reverse the color of the players’ skin and the offending player is off to the gallows. That is ridiculous.

Let’s not even get into the locker room and warm-up skate music. Are you kidding me?

There’s another word that’s missing from the entire conversation…respect. Maybe everyone needs to take a step back and learn to respect themselves and others.

Profane and offensive language of any variety needs to carry the same penalty. That or eliminate penalties for spoken words all together. That is really hockey’s only choice. Either dive in or get out of the water. This tip-toe thing is getting completely out of hand.

In a sport that struggles to maintain some level of affordability, there’s good reason to take a different position when it comes to speech. The complete elimination of profanity from the game would offend nobody.

The game needs families to be interested in hockey. This is especially true at the junior levels of play. When my own children were younger, we tried to shield them from situations where profanity would be the rule and not the exception. That’s just what Christian parents must try to do. Why would any such family return to a hockey game where their children must be subject to a continuous barrage of f-bombs and profanity? They don’t. And as a result, they will likely turn to a different sport when the kids are ready to participate in organized athletics.

Last week’s presidential election will come with tremendous changes to our society. Law & order will be restored. Hate, of any variety, will be squashed. We can only hope that respect within the game of hockey gets restored as well.

And that off-ice official? I’m being told he was wearing lipstick. Maybe he wanted to be called a fairy?